Wednesday: duck report

Anna came over at noon to help me feed the ducks (it goes much more smoothly with two people), but we were so busy that I forgot to take pictures of the feeding. I can report, though, that all eight ducklings are in good shape, Honey appears to be putting on weight, and the “curvy” Frank is still being fed, too. They’ve all had two hearty meals today, and I’ve ordered more mealworms.

What I can document is the regular behavior of the family after eating: they head for the center of the pond near the tree island, Honey begins to groom herself and submerge her body repeatedly (sometimes flapping her wings vigorously), and the ducklings follow suit. It’s ineffably cute. I don’t know if they’re actually learning how to groom from Mom or it’s instinctive, but it’s a joy to watch. Here’s a bit of it:

Let the ablutions begin!

Meanwhile, the duck ramp I had installed has found a different use. That’s not an issue, though, as all the ducklings can come ashore on the bank and can climb on both tree islands to get away from people and predators.

UPDATE: Matthew sent me this tweet with the accompanying words, “It’s YOU!” But the video is heartwarming, even if the duck looks like Trump! (Turn on sound.) Is my fate to be “The Duck Man”?

Re. your Havanas, I understand they’re not like they used to be. My father had an Army pal from WWII, John Dyer Bennet, eventually Emeritus Professor of Math @ Carleton College (and brother of early English balladeer/minstrel Richard) who only smoked pre-embargo Havanas when he could get them (this was back ~1970). He maintained that what distinguished p-e Havanas was their mildness, and the closest thing readily available was a White Owl.

I met Puff the Duck here at the North Carolina State Vet School. My cubicle is near the exotics specialty service. Puff was so adorable, she died recently. Here’s Puff the Duck’s FB page: https://www.facebook.com/PuffTheDuck/

Btw, it’s apparently not good for ducks to swim in swimming pools, even salt pools.

That’s Not what killed Her Lynn Wilhelm! She was Egg Bound and didn’t make it through a Surgery. Maybe you should speak to Tara there who saw her regularly. Thanks

Ps. The ducks and others would enjoy either koi pond food. It floats and it can also feed whatever else you have in the pond. Also Mazur food floats too. However ponds with a lot of green algae can and will Kill a Duck Quick. They can’t have any bacteria, mold or etc.